Become a Foster Carer

Animal Foster Carer

Fostering is an extremely rewarding challenge and a great option if you want to spend time with animals without the permanent commitment. A Foster Carer offers love and temporary accommodation for dogs and cats in their own homes. People who foster animals from home don’t necessarily have huge houses and acres of land! What matters most is that they have the dedication, time, and commitment to improve the welfare of the animal in their care.

Foster Carers need to be patient - animals may be frightened or anxious going into a new home and need time to settle and adjust.

Foster Carers need to be understanding and empathetic about what the animal may have seen or been through, and aware that the animal may not have had the best start in life.

Foster Carers need to live within easy travelling distance of the centre. This is due to the possibility of needing to access veterinary services - as our preferred option is always for the animals to see a local Rainbow vet. Fosterers must have their own transport. We can arrange to drop off and collect animals on occasions but there are occasions when we are unable to do this.

Different foster homes offer different areas of expertise - matched to the needs of individual animals. For example, some animals may be traumatised, elderly or sick and need specialist long-term care. Others may need a stable environment in which to develop social skills and receive some basic training before they can be considered for re-homing.

Cat fostering

Do you have a spare room which you could offer to a pregnant cat to have her kittens?

Would you be able to care for an adult cat who is waiting to find their permanent home?

We have an urgent need for volunteer cat fosterers who can provide a safe and calm foster home for cats and kittens. We’re looking for people who have a secure spare room, who have looked after cats (particularly new born kittens) before and are home for much of the day.

We sometimes have adult cats who are finding cattery life difficult. Our foster carers offer an opportunity for shy and nervous cats to unwind and show us their true personalities, or they provide rest and recuperation for adult cats who may have health issues. We provide food, medical treatment and check-ups throughout the duration of the foster period.

Dog Fostering

Many of the dogs who come to the Rainbow Rehoming Centre have never experienced a kennel environment before, and some can find the whole experience very stressful. When a dog is very stressed it can be difficult to assess its true personality and determine the kind of home it is looking for, so in these circumstances we seek temporary foster care for the animal. This way we can assess them in a home environment, and try to reduce the length of time spent looking for a new home - many can even be re-homed from their foster home.

If you are interested in fostering an animal from the Rainbow Rehoming Centre please contact the centre for further information.